Before Matthew Vaughn began to parody the spy
films with the Kingsman franchise, he
took aim at the superheroes fairly early on with Kick-Ass, a film that proved a hard R-rating could be lucrative in
the genre long before Deadpool or Logan. Based on the comic book by Mark
Miller and John Romita Jr., Kick-Ass
is a superhero film for all of the geeks who have spent their youth reading
comic books and wishing that they could change their nerdy ways to become a
hero and win the girl. It is the ultimate wish-fulfillment film, directed at
the very audience that made the genre a success in the first place. At the same
time, it is a tongue-in-cheek loving parody of the genre itself, constantly
referencing classic comic book superheroes and their film adaptations.

Dave Lizewski
(Aaron Johnson) is tired of being the geeky kid at school, so he makes the
decision to become a masked crime fighter, despite having no special skills or
training. After buying a costume online, he turns himself into a superhero
named Kick-Ass and becomes a viral sensation by fighting a group of low-level
criminals trying to break into a car. This encounter ends horrifically, but it
also gives him his abilities when the beating he takes leaves Dave with no
pain. Suddenly able to take a large number of hits without being affected by
it, Kick-Ass still doesn’t have the skills but does have an innate ability to
win fights through mere perseverance, which makes him a viral sensation.

Even with this
unique situation providing Dave/Kick-Ass with an upper hand in a fight, he
isn’t really the real superhero of the film, even if it is titled after him.
During his crime fighting, Dave discovers a father/daughter crime fighting team
with actual abilities. Former police officer Damon MacReady (Nicolas Cage) has
trained his 11-year-old daughter, Mindy (Chloë Grace Moretz), to be a fighting
machine. Together they are the crime fighting team of Big Daddy (a barely
disguised alteration on Batman) and Hit-Girl, with far more talent at killing
bad guys than Kick-Ass could ever hope for.

Big Daddy and
Hit-Girl are on a mission to take down a crime boss (Mark Strong), whose son (Christopher
Mintz-Plasse) coincidentally acts as a side-kick to Kick-Ass before pressure
from his criminal father leads him to switch sides. This inevitably results in
a superhero brawl in which the primary participants (aside from inconsequential
henchmen) are under-age, to the annoyance of many conservative filmgoers upon
the initial release. Still containing more than a few shocking moments (even by
today’s standards), Kick-Ass may not
be a modern classic but certainly doesn’t make for a boring view.

The high level
of spectacle and detailed production values alone make Kick-Ass a prime choice for 4K Ultra HD release, and it doesn’t
disappoint. There are a few sequences in particular where the high dynamic
range provided an enhanced presentation, especially with the bright colors used
for several of the superhero (and villain) costumes. The soundtrack even feels
crisper, providing an immersive experience when paired with a decent sound
system. The special features are exactly the same as they were on the Blu-ray
release, which makes sense considering one of those Blu-ray discs are included,
along with a Digital HD copy of the film. Unlike some 4K releases, a majority
of the special features from the Blu-ray are also included on the Ultra HD
disc.